


without our Final Girl

by dannyboyy



Category: Naruto
Genre: Horror movie references, M/M, Multi, Sleepovers, naruto year end bash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 16:55:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17247944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dannyboyy/pseuds/dannyboyy
Summary: “I’m like the hot girl that dies because everyone wants her too much. Like Megan Fox in Jennifer’s Body,”“I don’t think that’s how that movie went, but I understand your point. I die anti-climatically after finding out the killer’s identity but before I can tell anyone.”Sasuke nodded sagely. “Good man. Who’s Final Girl?”They looked at each other and spoke at the same time, “Naruto.”-for the 2018 naruto bash!





	without our Final Girl

**Author's Note:**

> for a prompt i received from punkdeaf for the 2018 naruto year end bash!
> 
> "sasuke and gaara have a late night convo abt their feelings for naruto (optional: and their feelings for each other)"
> 
> here's that fic (sort of)!

Sasuke glanced around as he brushed his teeth, taking in all of the pieces of personality in Gaara’s little bathroom. It was mostly plain with surprising proof of life scattered haphazardly around; lived-in, in a way that felt distinctly in-character for Gaara. He’d never been here before. He and Gaara used Naruto as their connection and their go-between so often, it was easy to forget that Gaara was this whole discrete entity, who existed completely separate from his relationship to Naruto and, by extension, to Sasuke. 

The toothbrush holder was a little smiling cactus. Sasuke decided that had to have been a gift from Naruto, because it didn’t match anything anywhere else, but here it was, on its countertop throne all the same. Sasuke rinsed his mouth and put his toothbrush through one of the little cactus’ eye holes. 

Along with the little cactus, there was a salon style mixing bowl left out on the countertop with a coloring brush still inside it, and Sasuke smiled despite himself. The brush and bowl were both stained with different shades of red, layered over and over after continuous use. He even thought he could smell the grape-soda smell that Gaara’s hair always had after he re-dyed it. 

Sasuke coughed, suddenly uncomfortable with the intimacy of it; this was how Gaara lived when he was by himself in his home, with little tenderness all around, and he’d been invited into this space explicitly anyways. He rolled the tension out of his shoulders and walked back into the living room, feeling all awkward and gruff again, like his skin wasn’t on straight. Gaara was there, sitting next to the air mattress while the little inflator whined in the quiet. 

_ God _ , this is awkward. 

Sasuke opened his mouth to make some sort of wisecrack, maybe about all the succulents spilling out of the windows and taking over all the surfaces, when Gaara beat him to it, turning to him with a little smile.

“I just want to you know I really appreciate you reaching out to me--” oh, God, here comes Therapy Mode, “--and trusting me enough to know I would help you if you asked. And I know Naruto is out of town, so I may have been a last resort, but you still asked for help when you needed it and without Naruto as a go-between and that means a lot. I’m honored that you felt comfortable enough with me to ask a favor.”

Throughout his little speech, the mattress inflator kept going, forcing Gaara to talk over it or be drowned out. Oblivious, he just carried on, raising his voice a little instead of just turning it off. It was painfully awkward to watch and yet Gaara seemed completely immune to the feeling. He was practically made of these little contradictions; soft and dry, emotionally smart but socially dumb.

Sasuke was even more amazed to find that it was kind of endearing to him. It was a needed reminder that as much as he was being vulnerable in this moment, so was Gaara. Sasuke had had to beg a favor, but Gaara had opened his home--his sanctuary--to him. Trusted him enough. It was at once uncomfortable and warm, like sitting close to a fire.

Sasuke cleared his throat. He almost wanted to say something rude, to get that ernest look off Gaara’s face and get them back on more familiar, less  _ familiar,  _ ground, but all that came out was--

“Yeah, sure. Don’t mention it,”

Gaara did that little lip-quirk that passed for a smile on him and turned off the inflator, capping off the mattress and standing up from the floor. There were some pale green sheets, a blanket, and a pillow waiting folded on the coffee table.

“Have you eaten?” Gaara fiddled with the inflator, wrapping the cord up around it to stow back in some closet somewhere. “I have some food here,”

Sasuke snorted. “If you cooked it, I think I might be better off trying to cook through the gas leak back at my place,”

Gaara frowned a little, almost a pout. “I’m getting better,”

\--

Some valiantly attempted but badly burned grilled cheeses and a postmates order later, they were sprawled across the floor and the air mattress, munching on takeout and trying to find something to watch, if only to dispel the quiet between them.

“I’d ask what you wanna watch but I know you’re just gonna say  _ Saw _ again,”

Gaara shrugged. “It’s a classic.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Hey, let’s watch  _ Teeth, _ ”

He wrinkled his nose. “The vagina one? That has sex in it,”

“Okay well, not that I expect someone who thinks  _ Saw  _ is good cinema to understand, but it’s actually a  _ metaphor _ about  _ trauma _ and it’s really deep,”

“The metaphorical device is sex, though.”

“Ugh, whatever, prude. Oh, let’s watch  _ Scream _ ,”

Gaara smiled, a real smile. “I love  _ Scream, _ ”

\--

“I’m like the hot girl that dies because everyone wants her too much. Like Megan Fox in  _ Jennifer’s Body, _ ”

“I don’t think that’s how that movie went, but I understand your point. I die anti-climatically after finding out the killer’s identity but before I can tell anyone.”

Sasuke nodded sagely. “Good man. Who’s Final Girl?”

They looked at each other and spoke at the same time, “Naruto.”

Sasuke laughed. “He’d probably waltz alone into a dark cemetery and still manage to live,”

Gaara nodded. “He’d make friends with the murderer and make him see the error of his ways.”

Sasuke snorted and Gaara smiled, and soon enough they were both cracking up because as absurd as the image was, it was so instinctually true. Even now, he connected the two of them better than anything else, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. All of the earlier newness and tension had faded and they finally got ahold of themselves, sighing happily and giggling a little, still.

“He’s not even here and he’s still doing it,” Gaara spoke softly, with obvious fondness.

“Yeah, I know what you mean. He’s just...so good,” Sasuke looked at his lap, feeling unusually open.

“He really loves you, you know,” Gaara said gently, and honestly, it was spooky how well he could read people sometimes.

“Scary,” It was supposed to be a joke, but it sounded sincere even to his own ears. He braced himself for Gaara’s Therapy Reassurance talk to come out again, but he surprised him again by agreeing.

“I know. He’s so bright sometimes it scares me. He...casts shadows. I love him so much, but sometimes darkness looks darker next to him.”

Sometimes it was hard to reconcile the violence and harshness of Gaara’s past with this calm, quiet version he knew in the present, but Sasuke could see it in moments like this. Like a lot of anger, (like his own anger,) it was born out of being hurt. For all of his troubles, Naruto’s anger had always been more in defense of others than himself; sometimes he could make you feel positively feral for how different it was.

At a loss for words, Sasuke simply whispered, “Yeah. You, um. You mean the world to him, too, you know,” 

The corner of Gaara’s mouth turned upward. “Yeah, I know.”

“Geez, he’d be so proud of us. It’s like indirect couples’ therapy in here,” Being a smartass was an automatic defense, but it was performative; surprisingly, he didn’t really feel threatened, despite all the direct sentiment and emotion flying around willy-nilly. Sasuke glanced over at Gaara and saw him lying on his back in the dark, half-propped on the corner of the shitty air mattress. He looked pensive, like always, but peaceful, too. He breathed out and met Sasuke’s eyes.

“I do, too,” Gaara clarified at Sasuke’s glance, “Care about you. A lot. And I know we don’t always..get along--” ( _ “Wow, tactful,” _ ) “but I wouldn’t want anyone else to be Naruto’s other partner than you.” It should’ve felt heavy, but it only felt light.

Sasuke breathed out through his nose for a second, before turning onto his side so they were facing each other.

“Yeah,” he was almost embarrassed how whispery his voice came out, “me neither. For you.”

Gaara smiled, and the whole moment felt so surreal--having a  _ sleepover _ , talking about their  _ feelings _ \--and yet so true.

They were making eye contact still, and as if by magnetism, they leaned in towards each other, until they were so close each could feel the other’s breath on his face.

“Okay?” Gaara whispered.

“Yeah,” Sasuke whispered back.

And they kissed. It was soft and short. Sweet.

They each pulled back, just looking at each for a while, the silence comfortable now. Suddenly, Sasuke cracked a grin.

“Naruto’s gonna be so pissed he missed us kissing,”

Gaara smiled back, the widest he’d ever seen on him.

“Yeah, he will be. Pissed off and happy all together. Just like him,”

Sasuke snorted, and the silence reigned again.

They fell asleep just like that, facing each other, both only half on the mattress in the middle of Gaara’s living room.

Both slept dreamlessly through the night.

  
  



End file.
